Current:Home > FinanceFear, frustration for Israeli family as 7 believed to be held by Hamas -BeyondProfit Compass
Fear, frustration for Israeli family as 7 believed to be held by Hamas
View
Date:2025-04-13 07:20:16
Jerusalem - As Israel prepares for an expected full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, the families of the nearly 200 hostages believed to be held by the group are organizing to try to save their loved ones - and their frustration is mounting.
For nine full days, 86-year-old Chanon Cohen heard nothing from Israeli officials about the seven members of his extended family taken during Hamas militants' bloody rampage across southern Israel.
"We didn't hear from anything. The only things that we know are from the pictures from the Hamas," he told CBS News. "We saw them the last time on their way to Gaza."
Cohen is one of the founding members of Nir Oz, an Israeli community right near the Gaza border. More than 50 people from Nir Oz are missing and believed to have been kidnapped, including Cohen's sister, Margalit Moses, who can be seen in a video clip being taken away by Hamas militants.
She has health problems that require almost constant medical care.
"I'm so worried," said Cohen. "I'm weeping on the inside. Because I know that weeping is good, healthy. But outside, I play the strong one."
Cohen has dual Israeli-German citizenship, and he and his daughter Efrat told CBS News that in the absence of almost any communication from Israeli authorities, the only official support they've received is from the German embassy.
"It feels that they give us energy to continue… the directions that we so much in need for, and they treat us so equally and in such a humane way," Efrat said, adding that her family just wasn't getting that kind of support from Israeli authorities, at least "not yet."
Hundreds of family members of hostages and those missing in Israel organized almost immediately after Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7 to pressure their government to act and to save their loved ones.
Officials from the U.S. and other governments met with the families before their own Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did.
The building frustration has led the families to protest outside Israel's Ministry of Defense and to demand that humanitarian and medical aid be made available to the hostages inside Gaza, which has been completely sealed off since the Hamas attack by an Israeli blockade.
"I did not think this is going to be the way things would go," Efrat said, adding that there was "something very wrong" with the Israeli government's response to the hostage crisis.
"Nobody knows where they are. Nobody knows who, who took them. Nobody knows how are they doing. I cannot describe the worry," she told CBS News.
She said it was taking all her effort not to be overwhelmed by grief and fear, so she can continue doing everything in her power to ensure the plight of her loved ones remains front and center in the minds of the people in power.
"We first want to know they're okay. We then want to know they have the medicine, and then we want them home – alive," said Efrat. "We want them home alive."
- In:
- Hostage Situation
- Hamas
- Israel
Haley Ott is an international reporter for CBS News based in London.
TwitterveryGood! (3)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Naomi Ruth Barber King, civil rights activist and sister-in-law to MLK Jr., dead at 92
- Missed the State of the Union 2024? Watch replay videos of Biden's address and the Republican response
- Unpacking the Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Amid a Tangle of Royal News
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper rescinds 2021 executive order setting NIL guidelines in the state
- Music Review: Ariana Grande triumphs over heartbreak on seventh studio album, ‘eternal sunshine’
- Wolfgang Van Halen slams ex-bandmate David Lee Roth's nepotism comments
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Handmaid's Tale Star Madeline Brewer Joins Penn Badgley in You Season 5
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- RNC votes to install Donald Trump’s handpicked chair as former president tightens control of party
- Female representation remains low in US statehouses, particularly Democrats in the South
- Fans, social media pay tribute to 'Dragon Ball' creator Akira Toriyama following death
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Potential $465M federal clawback raises concerns about West Virginia schools
- Summer House Star Paige DeSorbo Influenced Me To Buy These 52 Products
- Angela Bassett Shares Her Supreme Disappointment Over Oscars Loss One Year Later
Recommendation
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Officials say a Kansas girl was beaten so badly, her heart ruptured. Her father now faces prison
Alabama woman set for a plea hearing months after police say she faked her own kidnapping
Washington state achieves bipartisan support to ban hog-tying by police and address opioid crisis
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
A dog on daylight saving time: 'I know when it's dinner time. Stop messing with me.'
LSU's Angel Reese dismisses injury concerns after SEC Tournament win: 'I'm from Baltimore'
NHL trade grades: Champion Golden Knights ace deadline. Who else impressed? Who didn't?